Sunday, November 02, 2014

French MOH Statement On UN Employee Evacuated From Sierra Leone With Ebola

A total of 523 health-care workers (HCWs) are known to have been infected with EVD up to the end of 29 October: 82 in Guinea; 299 in Liberia; 11 in Nigeria; 127 in Sierra Leone; one in Spain; and three in the United States of America (two were infected in the USA and one in Guinea). A total of 269 HCWs have died.

While a number of these infections are believed to have been acquired from community contact – or in settings where the HCW did not know they were dealing with a possible Ebola case – this illustrates just how dangerous working in the Ebola hot zone can be for healthcare workers.

Overnight the French Ministry of Health has confirmed that they have accepted for treatment an unidentified UN worker from Sierra Leone with the Ebola virus. This is the second such evacuation to France since the outbreak began, the first being a French nurse who was successfully treated in September.

The French authorities have agreed to respond positively to the request of the World Health Organization (WHO) and welcome in France a person employed by an agency of the United Nations and victim of Ebola virus.

This person, who works in Sierra Leone in the fight against Ebola has been medicalized and secure a medical evacuation by special plane. The entire circuit support was secured from the off Freetown and the plane ride to the hospital in isolation in high-security room dedicated to the Army Instruction Bégin (St. Hospital mended), where she receives medical attention.

There are no other confirmed cases of Ebola in the area.

Marisol Touraine, Minister of Social Affairs, Health and Women's Rights, said that France is fully committed to the fight against the terrible epidemic of Ebola strikes the West Africa and takes its international commitments taken medical care for humanitarian workers mobilized by non-governmental organizations and UN agencies to fight the virus in affected countries.